Bread, meat, or vegetable slicer.



110.720,617. A PATENTED' PEB. 17, 190s.

- M. ,6. RATGLIFP.

BREAD, MEALOB. VBGETABLE sL-IGBR.

APPLICATION FILED-JUNE 1902. l I0 HODEL.

Unirse. STATES TENT OFFICE.

MOSES C. RATCLIFF, OF MUNCIE, INDIANA.

BREAD, MEAT, OR VEGETABLE SLICER.

sPEcrFrcA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,617, dated February 17, 1903.

Application led June 14, 1902.

,T0 @ZZ whom t may concern/.j

Be it known that I, Mosns C. RATCLIFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muncie, in the county of Delaware and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Bread, Meat, or Vegetable Slicer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvedfv-coustruction of slicing-machine particularly adapted for slicing bread, meat, vegetables, and similar material.

The object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly cheap, sim ple, and efficient construction and one in which the follower can be quickly and easily reversed whenever desired.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel featuresof construction,

combination, and arrangement, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figure l is a perspective view of my invention applied to a table. gitudinal sectional view taken through the table, `-the feed-shaft and block being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the table, showing the knife in elevation. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan View. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is adetail face view of the follower-block and arm connected thereto. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View of the said block and arm.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates an ordinary table having a board A arranged at one edge thereof. This table isslotted transversely, as shown at B, to permit the movement of the rotary knife C, and the table is also slotted longitudinally, as shown at E, to

permit the movement of the feeding-arm Ff which forces the bread or other article toward the cutting-knife.

In order to operate the cutting-knife and also the feed-arm, I employ a shaft G, which is journaled beneath thetable and provided with a suitable crank G at the forward end.

The cutting-blade C is rigidly secured to the said shaft and works through the transverse slot B, said cutting-blade being preferabb7 cam-shaped, as shown, the edge C being sharpened, so that with each rotation of the other article to be sliced.

Fig. 2 is a lon# Serial No. 111,673. (No model.)

shaft G the rotary cutting-blade C will be given a complete rotation, and owing to its peculiar cam shape the cutting edge will be forced entirely through the loaf of bread or lf necessary, the board A may be slotted, as shown at A2, in order to permit a complete rotation of the knife and also permit the blade tocompletely sever the slice. The shaft G is enlarged, as shown at G2, between the transverse strips H, or the said shaft may be provided with a separate drum between these strips, if so desired; but for the sake of cheapness I prefer to make the drum portion G2 andthe shaft proper G The drum portion G2 is provided with a series of pins or studs I, arranged at regular intervals and in alinement with each other, said pins or studs being adapted to engage the threads K, cut into the block L, sliding upon the rod M,

VVarranged parallel to the drum' portion Gr2 and between the transverse strips H. This block L has the feeding-arm` F rigidly connected thereto, said arm F being preferably constructed of wire and bent to provide an essentially rectangular-shaped frame F', the ends F2 and F3 of thewire being connected to the block L in longitudinal alinement, so that the said ends of the Wire will slide in the'longitudinal slot E as the feed-drum is moved forwardly through the medium of thefollowerblock L, which is actuated through the medium ofthe drum carrying the studs or pins which engage the threads cut in the-curved face of the block L.

It will thus bevunderstood that in order to slice a loaf of bread, piece of meat, or other article said article" is placedv upon the table and the feeding-arm pressed against the rear there'of. The crank is then .operated to rotate the cutter-blade, and the article will be cut into a series of thin slices, each rotation of the crank serving to cut a slice, and at each rotation of theshaft the feed-arm'is fed forwardly the distance of one pin or stud. These operations are continued until the entire loaf is sliced. When it is desired to reverse the feeding-arm and return it tov its rearmost position, it is only necessary to give IOC the crank a partial rotation, so as to move the pins or studs out of engagement with the threaded block. The block can then be slid back and the device is ready for operation again.

It will thus be seen vthat I provide an exceedingly cheap, simple, and eflicient construction of slicer, capable of quick and easy manipulation, either for the purpose of cutting the slice or for the purpose of returning the parts to their normal positions ready to begin on another article.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a table having a slotted top, a shaft journaled beneath the table, a rotatable knife carried by the shaft, a movable follower-block adapted to travel parallel to the shaft and having threads formed on its adjacent face, studs carried by the shaft and adapted to engage the threads on the follower-block during a portion only of each revolution of the shaft, a feeding-arm attached to said block said arm being adapted to be moved to the starting position when the studs are outof engagement with the follower-block and to have a step-by-step motion toward the knife when the shaft is rotated, and means for rotatingT the shaft.

2. The combination with the table slotted longitudinally and transversely, of a rotary shaft journaled longitudinally beneath the table, a cam-shaped cutting-blade rigidly mounted upon said shaft and adapted to Work in the transverse slot, a drum portion arranged upon the shaft and having a series of pins or studs projecting therefrom, the feed-block arranged adjacent to the drum portion of the shaft and having a curved face adapted to partially embrace the drum portion, said curved face having threads out therein, said threads being adapted for eugagement with the pins or studs, the longitudinal guide-rod, the feed-arm formed of Wire, the ends thereof passing through the longitudinal slot and attached to the followerblock, substantially as described.

MOSES C. RATCLlFF.

Witnesses:

BERT CALVERT, HoMER HIGMAN. 

